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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119399">Hints of Kindness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/7_wonders/pseuds/7_wonders'>7_wonders</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Who Could Ever Learn to Love a Beast? [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>House of Cards (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:47:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119399</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/7_wonders/pseuds/7_wonders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With Duncan, it seems to be one step forward and two steps back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Duncan Shepherd &amp; Reader, Duncan Shepherd &amp; You, Duncan Shepherd/Reader, Duncan Shepherd/You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Who Could Ever Learn to Love a Beast? [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679569</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hints of Kindness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
  <p>When you wake up the next morning, soft sunlight streams through the windows, the rain having subsided sometime in the night. Sitting up, you note that all fingers and toes are in tact and moving as they’re meant to move. The only question that you have is where the creature that rescued you last night went?</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re awake.” You look in the direction of the door instinctually, feeling stupid when you see that there’s no physical form there. “How are you feeling?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Um, pretty good. I still have all my extremities.” You show her your fingers to demonstrate, and she chuckles warmly. Suddenly, you miss your mom.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“There’s a warm bath waiting for you upstairs, if you’re wanting to wash up.” A bath <em>does</em> sound really good right now. You pull a blanket around you like a cloak, extremely aware of your nudity, and smile at the voice.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thank you…”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s right, we haven’t met before! I’m Cordelia. I oversee everything that keeps this place running.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“It’s nice to meet you, Cordelia.” Glancing around subtly, you can’t find any sign of Shepherd lurking around. “He’s not here. He went back to his quarters at around sunrise, when he was sure that you were going to be okay.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your cheeks go hot, and you bite your lip in embarrassment. “I–uh…” clasping the blanket tightly, you stand up and start walking towards the bathroom to escape this awkward situation. “Thank you for the bath, Cordelia.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Come back down once you’re ready and we’ll have breakfast ready.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Not to be dramatic, but you’re pretty sure this is the best bath that you’ve ever taken. The tub is huge, and there’s all sorts of bubbles for you to put in. You could stay in here all day, and you almost do before the rumbling of your stomach overpowers your desire to doze in a bath. Begrudgingly, you climb out and towel yourself off.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The closet, which you had bypassed in search of extra blankets the night before, is fully stocked. The clothes fit for the chilly weather, thankfully, and you pull on jeans and a Patagonia pullover. Your hair is still wet, but the manor is warm enough that you don’t worry about it taking much longer to air dry.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>You start to maneuver down the numerous hallways that remind you of a labyrinth, hoping that you’ll be able to make it back downstairs. Rounding a corner, you see a flash of dark hair disappear down another hallway. Considering everybody else in this place is invisible, there’s only one person (thing? creature?) it could be.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Hey!” you call, picking up the pace to try and reach him. Although he acts like he didn’t hear you, you continue to be persistent. “I can see you, y’know. And I know it’s you since you’re the only other visible person in this place.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What do you want?” he asks gruffly. He’s not in the hallway when you reach it, but his voice sounds close enough that you assume he’s taking refuge in one of the rooms in said hallway. Ironic, considering you saw what he looked like last night.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I just wanted to say thank you, for saving me last night.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Just make sure you don’t try anything that stupid again, or else I might not be so heroic.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your blood boils at the audacity of this man, and you see red for a second. “What the <em>fuck</em> is your problem?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Excuse me?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You heard me.” Dealing with Jim through the highs and lows of his addiction has taught you how to be extremely blunt, which is proving helpful now. “You would think that, since you’re apparently the reason everybody’s stuck here, you would get off of your pretentious high horse!”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Who told you that I was the reason for this?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Nobody, I just made the assumption based on the hatred that everybody here has for you. I get it, you’re upset that life gave you these cards. But you have to realize everybody else around you is going through this too, and try to find some sort of camaraderie in that instead of moping around and acting like you’re the king of the castle. I’m sure, based on the size of this house, that you were raised to think you’re special. In this case, you’re not.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He’s silent, and you can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Not wanting to stick around to find out, you turn to leave.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Your name being called behind you stops you from leaving.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re right, and I’m sorry. I…dealing with this hasn’t been easy, and I won’t lie that I’ve taken it out on those around me. It’s not like they cared for me much before, anyways.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I don’t know how or why you ended up like this, but that’s the past. Maybe, if you reached out to them and showed a little kindness, you’d find that they care for you more than you think.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>After you leave to go downstairs, Duncan lets out a deep breath. His heart is pounding out of his chest, but not from rage. He feels jittery, like he’s had a bunch of coffee. Never has anybody spoke to Duncan like that, and he has to admit to himself that the fire you hold within you is, frankly, quite hot. Did he get through to you, only for his boneheaded actions to set him a step back? Regardless, Duncan’s starting to warm up to the challenge of falling in love with you, and vice versa.</p>
</div>
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